Linux Advanced
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Linux is a great platform for both servers and desktop computers. You can build a usable Linux-based system by installing one of the many Linux distributions. To build more sophisticated systems, you'll need to go beyond the basics and use techniques that most Linux distributions don't handle for you and software that's not included.

This course goes beyond the basics and exposes you to the more advanced details of Linux.

Course format

This course maximizes the amount of information you learn in only two days. Your instructor will use a live Linux-based network throughout the entire course to show you Linux advanced features. You're welcome to ask questions and the instructor's answer will often include showing you how to do things on a live system. You'll receive a comprehensive course workbook that you'll also use after the course when you continue to learn Linux on your own time and at your own pace.

Materials

You'll receive a course workbook at the class. Additional materials are available from this Web site once you sign up for the course. Click here after you've signed up for the course.

Who should attend?

This course is for anyone who needs to get up to speed on the advanced aspects of Open Source software generally and Linux specifically.

  • You should have attended the Linux Boot Camp or equivalent course or have equivalent work experience.
  • You DO NOT need to be a programmer or have programming skills to attend. Most people who have attended the course do not have these skills. However, you will be exposed to languages that are popular in the Linux/Unix world such as shell scripting.
  • You DO need to have some experience using some computer operating system, such as Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, etc. and have a basic understanding of files and directories (or folders).
  • You SHOULD attend if you're looking to improve your computer system performance, reliability, and security while dramatically reducing costs.

Course Outline

System Startup
  • The Grub Boot Loader
    • Syntax - device names
    • Bash-like editor
    • Options
  • Initial RAM disks
  • System V-style startup scripts
  • BSD-style startup scripts
  • Custom startup
  • Example of runlevel-less system
Advanced File Systems
  • Virtual File System (VFS)
  • Advanced mount options
  • Journaling
  • Mounting devices
    • Parallel port-connected devices
    • ZIP and Jazz drives
    • USB Thumb Drives
    • Optical Drives
      • Burning CD-Rs
      • Making ISO images
      • Mounting images into the file system
  • Loopback file systems
    • Compressed file systems
    • Encrypted file systems
    • Temporary file systems
    • A new way to think about backing up systems
  • Nesting file systems
RAID
  • RAID levels and fault tolerance
  • Software vs. hardware RAID
  • Performance implications
  • IDE versus SCSI drives
Compiling a new kernel and modules
  • The differences between 2.4 and 2.6 kernels
  • Configuring the new kernel
  • Monolithic or modular kernels
  • Putting code in the kernel or in modules
  • Module tradeoffs
  • Where modules are located
  • Module utilities - modprobe, insmod, rmmod, lsmod, and others
Virtualization
  • Why?
    • Isolating processes, files, directories, etc.
    • Security
    • Easy software distribution
    • Easier administration
    • Testing
    • Software development
  • Running Linux within Linux
    • User Mode Linux
    • Vservers
  • Running Windows within Linux
    • VMware
    • bochs
Advanced Logging
  • Logging to local and remote files
  • Logging to consoles and named pipes
  • Remote logging
  • Log file analyzer programs

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